melbury

Have phoned the DVLA and they are going to send out a form for us to complete and then they will write to our GP. They said no need to stop driving though at the moment if the GP says it is OK!!!!!!!!!! I then phoned the insurance company to advise them. They were totally disinterested and said that if the DVLA and GP say driving is OK, then that is fine and he is covered. Didn't want me to write in or anything.

Yes you are right, I guess I will bite the bullet and phone the DVLA this coming week, better to be safe than sorry. Suppose I should also notify the insurance company, even though I only renewed the insurance a couple of weeks ago - hope they don't question why I didn't tell them then!

I suppose it is because he was non-aneurysmal that I am expecting too much. I still haven't done anything about notifying the DVLA and insurance company. As previously mentioned, the doctor said she didn't see any reason to as he hadn't had any surgery done, so still undecided about that. Thanks for all your support, it really does help.

It will be 7 weeks on Monday since my husband's SAH and he really doesn't seem to be improving. Still has bad headaches and dizziness every day. The strange burning sensation in his arms and back is also getting more frequent. Also since it happened he seems to have digestive problems - feeling sick and terrible burping! Did anyone else get this kind of thing? Perhaps I am just expecting too much too soon.

When we saw the GP last week I mentioned that my husband's sick note was running out. She wrote another one for 4 weeks and said but if he feels better before then he can go back to work:crazy: He cannot even get out of bed on his own or put his socks on. He is still so dizzy and has bad headaches. I just cannot understand that they would think he can back to carrying out a manual job that often involves using electric saws etc feeling as bad as he does - are they mad? He hasn't left the house since coming out of hospital. Do you just have to keep going back and saying that you are just not well enough to return to work? I thought they would have a bit of common sense about it. Not only has he had the SAH, but the shoulder operation he had on the same day has not been getting the post-op attention it should have with everything else going on. I just despair sometimes, when I look at him I can't see that he will be well enough to return to work for months. Sorry to rant, it just makes me so mad when I think of all the wastrels there are that get written off for months on end and permanently for next to nothing.

That is really good news, you must be feeling so relieved. All the best, Mel x

Took husband to see GP today and she is referring him to a neurologist just to check out the strange feeling he gets in his arms and in general I suppose. I am glad because it will be nice to have someone to actually sit down and talk to about the whole thing and be able to ask questions. She said that neurosurgeons do tend to quickly cast adrift cases where it is established that surgery is not necessary. Also asked her about the driving issue and she didn't see any reason why the DVLA should be notified as no cause was found and he isn't driving at the moment anyway, so I suppose that is OK. I am back at work this week and trying hard to get back to some form of normality. The whole thing just seems like an awful nightmare. Hope everyone is well and thank you all so much for the support.

I am such an idiot! I read through the DVLA information and was sure that because my husband had a "no cause found" SAH and it says can drive again as soon as recovered, that he didn't need to notify them, but on re-reading it, I was obviously wrong. What is the procedure for this? Is it necessary to notify insurance company as well? I only renewed his car insurance a couple of days ago - what will they say? Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. He is very sensible and wouldn't consider driving while he feels so unwell.

I am wondering if anybody has heard of this as a result of an SAH. My husband gets the feeling that the underside of both his lower arms are burning - not hot burning, but more a very cold sensation on the inside like ice. This happens several times a day and he can't understand why. Could it be something to do with nerve ends? The dizziness is not subsiding at all yet, still I suppose he is only 4 weeks on from the SAH. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm just wondering if anyone knows the score with regard to motor insurance. My husband's car insurance is due for renewal in a few days time and I was just going to go ahead an renew it as usual. No doctors have told him that he must not drive, but of course he is not stupid and wouldn't attempt to get behind the wheel unless he felt 100%, which he accepts may be a while yet. If you have a non-aneurysmal sah does that mean you don't have to notify anyone? As I said no medical staff had mentioned this at all. Thanks. P.S. Have just been on the DVLA site and downloaded their guide. Under neurological conditions it says there is no need to notify of Subarachnoid Haemmorrhage provided no cause ws discovered by the angiogram, so that is good. It just basically says not to drive until you feel well enough - common sense!

Hello again everyone. My husband has been home now for five days and is not showing any sign of improvement. He is so tired and still very dizzy - nearly falls over if he turns his head a certain way and cannot bend down. I do feel that as soon as the doctors did the angiogram and couldn't find an aneurysm or any obvious cause of his bleed, they seemed to just cast him adrift. He was given no aftercare instructions or anything like that, just told to go back to his GP if there was no improvement in a couple of weeks. I am so scared that he will have another one and know that I am driving him mad asking all the time how he is feeling. Is there anyone who has suffered a non-aneurysmal SAH who could give me some advice about the expected recovery time. I am assuming it has everything to do with getting rid of the blood in the spinal fluid and it is this that is making him feel so unwell. It has also had an impact on his vision. Thanks.

Does anyone know roughly how long it takes for blood in the spinal fluid to dissipate. He is still very dizzy and has bad headaches, doesn't seem any better at all. Every time he sighs or makes a move I nearly jump out of my skin and ask him if he is alright, I feel that I am being totally paranoid but just can't help it. Thank you for all your support, it is greatly appreciated. The doctor did give me a sick note for 2 weeks off work. Some people I have told this to seem very surprised as I am not the one who is sick. To be honest I feel like I have had the stuffing knocked out of me and feel totally drained. I never normally take any time off from work sick and feel they should understand just how traumatic being the partner of someone who has suffered from SAH is. It is like going to hell and back!

My husband was discharged from Frenchay yesterday afternoon and is now home. Unfortunately I didn't get to speak to a doctor and they have bascially just told him that if the dizziness doesn't stop in a few weeks to go back to his GP. He was told that this should ease once the blood dissipates - I wonder how it does that? So they don't know what happened and there was nothing visible that they could fix. I know I should probably find this reassuring, but I feel so worried that it may happen again. He had a total of three CT scans, an MRI and the angiogram and yet they could find nothing untoward.

Today he was supposed to have the angiogram and they were also going to do any coiling necessary. However, got a phone call this morning saying they were not going to give him a general anaesthetic after all, but just do the angio under a local to see what showed up. I am now totally bemused because they didn't find anything! No sign of damage or anything nasty, which is great, but what caused it in the first place? He said the doctor told him it could have just been a very small bleed - small burst blood vessel or suchlike. If there is nothing wrong then why does he still feel so fuzzy headed and off balance, mind having said that he hasn't been able to stand up for days. Believe me I am not complaining that they didn't find anything, but I am just nervous that whatever it was could happen again.

Awful night, don't think I slept at all. Just lay there feeling like my heart is trying to burst out of my chest. I can't seem to stay out of toilet last few days, continual upset stomach - I think I am going crazy. Have thought about going to the doctor to ask for some medication, but I don't want to be drugged up to the eyeballs with something like valium. Sorry to be moaning, just feel so terrible and frightened.

I just tried to phone my husband and he didn't answer so I panicked and phoned the nurse. She said there had been some slight changes in his condition, in particular a weakness in one arm and is in the high dependency area being monitored more often. I am now in the depths of depression again, totally stressed and thinking the worst. She said they are intending to do the angiogram tomorrow morning and, dependent on what they find, will do some coiling if required. It is like being on a rollercoaster, I just seem to calm down a bit and then it all comes crashing down.

Thanks for that reassurance. Seem to spend far too much time worrying about "what ifs" When something like this happens it certainly puts things into perspective doesn't it? All of the trivia and totally unimportant things that seem so important are just nothing. It is so true that good health is the most important thing of all, far more so than money and power which most people seem to value above everything else. I really think this will make me stop and re-evaluate.

I have just spoken to him and they took him for another CT scan earlier because they thought there was a weakness on one side - whatever that may be? However, all was OK thankfully. His blood pressure is now well down, which is making him feel very tired, but apparently this is necessary for the angiogram that is being done tomorrow. Is this procedure safe? It sounds worrying having a wire inserted in your groin and fed right up to your head:shock: I do find it very comforting that I am able to speak to him on a regular basis on his mobile phone, rather than just having to phone the nurses station for updates - it is far more reassuring to be able to have a few words every couple of hours and really helps with the fact that I am so far away.

Thank you all so much for your replies, it really does help talking to people who understand. My husband is having the angiogram tomorrow. He has to stay on his back until tomorrow and is on tablets to bring his blood pressure down, I don't really understand why this needs to be done before he has the procedure. I suppose then they can decide what the best treatment is. I am still feeling very stressed, which I suppose it understandable. I am going to contact my GP and ask for a sick note, as I just don't feel able to cope with work at the moment. I don't think I have ever had one before, do they get funny about giving them out if it is not you who is the sick person? Would be grateful to know. Many thanks again.

Thank you for your reply, I am just sitting here reading everything I can find on the subject, which probably isn't the best thing to do. What is even more frustrating is that my husband has been taken to a hospital 60miles away, so I can't even get there on a regular basis. I know that he is in the best place and that they have a good reputation for neurological problems, but he just seems so far away. It is reassuring to know that people do recover from this terrible thing.

On 27th July my husband was due to have surgery on his shoulder in the late afternoon. He awoke at 6.30am that morning saying he felt that something had popped in the back of his head and when he tried to stand everything was spinning. I was terrified and wanted to contact the hospital to cancel surgery, but he was insistent that I didn't. After sleeping for a couple of hours he seemed a lot better and so he went into hospital, the operation went smoothly and he was discharged the next day. However, ever since he has been feeling dizzy and nearly falling over when he bends his head a certain way. We thought this was some kind of inner ear infection or balance problem and would just go away. On Wednesday he felt quite bad and so I took him to our GP, who sent us straight to A&E as he wanted a scan carried out. We sat there for six hours and eventually he was admitted to the hospital. The next day he had a CT scan and an MRI scan and both were completely normal. I was so thrilled and felt happier than I had for days. This was to be very shortlived though. I assumed they would let him come home, but the consultant was insistent that he had a lumbar puncture just to be certain that all was OK. Even the doctor doing the lumbar puncture thought it was just academic and the results would be fine and I set off for home waiting for the call that I could go and collect him. Instead of this I get a call saying he is being transferred to Frenchay Hospital that very night because there was blood in the sample taken. I am just in pieces - total shock - like I am in some surreal nightmare that I can't wake up from. I was so glad that he got through the shoulder operation OK, as last time he had an operation it was very traumatic and something went wrong with anaesthetising him and he hasn't been able to talk for nearly two years. When I spoke to the hospital earlier I was told they are going to do a CT angiogram. I am just so scared that I will lose him, I don't know what treatment he will need and how safe it will be. It is nearly two weeks since the initial bleed.